U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (left) toured the Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s new Marble Falls District Office on Aug. 9 before speaking to PEC staff and board members. Next to him is PEC Director of Regional Operations Nathan Burns. Photo courtesy John Larsen, PEC photographer

MARBLE FALLS — U.S. Rep. Roger Williams stopped by the Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s new Marble Falls District Office on Aug. 9 as the congressman made the rounds in his District 25.

Williams quickly toured the office before addressing PEC board members and staff in a nearly 30-minute speech that touched on taxes, education, the military, the national debt, and his agenda priorities.

“I first got elected in 2012. I had never run for office before in my life,” Williams began. “I ran because I didn’t think anybody was fighting for small business.”

Williams’s visit began on the topic of taxes and the recent tax cuts. The Republican said he hopes to make them permanent before they expire in 2027. Also on the topic of taxes, Williams said he would like to cut the payroll tax in half for employees and employers.

Regulations was Williams’s second topic of choice. The scaled-down Dodd-Frank Act was an example of “burdensome regulations” that Williams felt kept businesses from thriving.

Third, and on which Williams spent most of his time, was the topic of the military and his representation of Fort Hood in Killeen.

Before taking questions, Williams said he wants to address education in Texas by making community college a focus of his.

Williams, who is running for re-election in the November against Democrat Julie Oliver of Austin, gave only a vague reference to the upcoming contest.

“I don’t know how much longer I’m going to serve, but as long as I do, you can count on me,” he said. Williams did not mention the election directly and was not clear if he meant he thought he would serve past another term should he win.

After taking a few questions and sharing two lighthearted stories, Williams was presented with a PEC cap by Director of Regional Operations Nathan Burns. A former baseball player, Williams gave a brief demonstration on how to properly put a crease on the bill and crown on the cap.